Lockout-relay



G. A. BURNHAM.

L0CK0U1 RELAY. v4 APPLICATION man Dems, 1911."

'1,39v1,241. Patented sept. 20, 1921.

i T o all whom it may concern:

y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE A. BUBNHAH, 0F SAUGUS, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO BEARS B. CONDIT,

I JB., OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

LOCXOUT-BELAY.

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. BURNHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Saugus, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Lockout-Relays, of which the following is a specification.

In view of the increase in the size of generators and transforming apparatus, the switches and circuit-breakers for controlling and distributingr the loads have, of necessity, increased 4in size. In many cases this increase in size is so great that it is not practicable to mount the switches or circuitbreakers on or near .the switch-board and bring the cables to the switches or circuitbreakers or to admit of their manual operation.

Furthermore, as this increase necessitates more space for lthe switches and circuit'- breakers and more power for operating them a remote control system offers a possible solution. Such a system, generally speaking, includes a main switch or circuit-breaker for the generator or transformer circuit, an electromagnetic-device for closing the switch, an electromagnetic-device for-opening the switch, a manually operable double-throw remote control-switch arranged at a distant place forl controlling the electromagneticdevices for closing and opening the switch manually, and automatic controlling-means adapted to cause the 'electromagnetic-device for opening the switch to respond to an abnormal rise in current value or short circuit or overload and here referred to generally as an over1oad,fwhereby the switch will be' opened automatically. It* sometimes happens that, when the remote control switch is moved into switchclosing position to close the .control-circuit and cause the closing of the main switch or circuit-breaker, there is an overload on the main circuit, and sometimes an overload occurs while theremote control-switch is being held in'sWitch-closing position, and in either case, the main switch or circuit-l breaker is caused to rapidly vibrate and dis-v,y

- astrous results are liable to follow.

` One of the objects of this invention is thev provision of an overload-controlled circuitcontroller for the `control-circuit, adapted for operation upon the occurrencev of an Specication of Letters Patent. Patented Sept, Application led December' 8, Vv191'?. Serial No. 208,148.

circuit-controller has been reset, so that dur- 1ng such tlme' the closing of the control-circuit by the remote control-switch will be ineffective, and consequently the main switch will not be closed.

In carrying out this feature of myinvention, the control circuit including the control-switch, which is adapted for operation by the remote control-switch to operate the closing-means for the main switch, may have arranged in it a circuit-controller, such as a circuit-breaking.element, adapted to bev controlled automatically by an overload on the main circuit, and upon the occurrence of an overload will be operated to open said ycontrol-circuit independently of the remote control-switch, and to maintain said controlcircuit open untilsaid overload ,controlled circuit-controller has been reset, so that in case the' remote ,control-switch is moved into or held in switch-closing position during such time, the control-circuit, being open or opened at another place, will not be operated to cause the operation of the switch-.closing means, and the main switch will not be closed.

The overload-controlled means of the vcircuit-controller .for the control-circuit includes a coil, and said coil is or may be associated with the overload-controlled switch-- lprovision of means for resetting said overload-controlled circuit-controller by means controlled by the remote control-switch.

In carrying out this feature of my' inven- 1 tion, an ,electromagnetic resetting device is,

provided for the overload-controlled circuitcontroller whichY is or may be arranged for operation b a circuitcontrolled by the remote-contro -switeh, iwhen the latterV is moved into Aswitch-opening position. Said resetting-device includes acoil which, when energized, moves' the vcircuit-controller into its closed circuit position, in opposition 'to its direction of motion by the overload-controlled means or actuating-coil.`

Another object of my invention isrtoprovideanalarm that will-operate, upon thel opening of the main'switchbecause of overload conditions, to 'give' warning of the conerning the alarm circuit and thereby oper` ates the alarm which may endure as long as the main switch is open. Upon the resetting of the main switch, through the resetting feature of the overload-controlled circuit-controller, the alarm circuit contacts are automatically broken to cause the cessation of the alarm.

The figure is a diagram illustrating an electrically-operated switch with overloadcontrolling-means and remote control-means for the switch embodying this invention.

Referring to the figure, 10 represents an electric switch or circuit-breaker of any usual. or suitable construction having a closing coil 12, and an opening coil 14. As here shown for the purpose of illustration, the closing coil 12 is arranged in an operating circuit 30, connected with a source of energy, which operating circuit is normally open at 31. Said operating circuit is adapted to be closed by a relay 32, which is included-in or controlled by a controlling-circuit 33, connected with a suitable source oi' energy, and extended to a remote point where a remote circuit-closer is provided. The remote circuit-closer, as here shown, consists of a double-throw switch having its actuator 35 normally biased to open circuit position, as represented in the drawing, and adapted, when moved in one direction, to connect said controlling-circuit with its source of energy, thereby to close said circuit and cause the relay 32 to operate and close the operating-circuit 30 of 'the closing coil, thereby4 to cause energization of said closing coil to close the switch in any usual or suitable manner, so far as my invention is concerned. The opening coil 14 is included in an operating-circuit 40, connected with a suitable source of energy.

Overload controlled-means are associated with the circuit adapted to be controlled by the switch which controls the operation of the operating-circuit 40 of the opening coil, for the urpose of automatically opening the switc in case of an overload on the circuit. The overload controlled-means may be of any usual or suitable construction, 65 andas here shown, comprises current trans` formers .41, associated, as usual, with the circuit controlled by the switch, and over,- load relays 42 arranged in said transformer circuit adapted to close the operating-circuit 40 at 43. Upon the occurrence of an overload, the overload relays become energized and the operating circuit 4() is closed and the opening coil 14 energized to cause the switch to open.

To prevent the closing of the switch upon an overload or to prevent the operator from holding or attempting to hold the switch in closed position upon an overload, a circuitcontroller 50 is provided, for the controlling-circuit 33 of the relay, which controls the operating circuit of the closing coil, and said circuit-controller is adapted to be controlled by the overload controlled-means.

As here shown, the movable member of the circuit-controller 50 is connected with a lever 51 pivoted at 52,-at a point intermediate its length and an armature or movable core-piece53 of a solenoid 54, is connected with said lever at one end, so that upon energization' of the solenoid and the consequent attractive movement of its core-piece, said movable member of the circuit-controller 50 will be lifted to open the controlling-circuit 33. By this means it will be seen that, upon the occurrence of an overload not only will the switch be opened automatically as by the usual tri ping coil, but the controlling-circuit of tlie closing coil will be opened. The electrically-operated circuit-controller 50, when operated to open the controlling-circuit 33, will remain in open-circuit position until it has been positively reset, that is to say, it is herein so intended. For the purpose of resetting it, suitable resetting means are associated with it adapted for operation by. remote means, as for instance, by the actuator of the double-throw remote circuit-closer.

As here shown, said resetting means consists of a solenoid core-piece 60 connected with the other end of said pivoted lever 51, having a solenoid winding 62, included in acircuit-controller resetting circuit 63, leading from the circuit of the opening coil to the other side of the double-throw circuitcloser at 64, so that when the actuator of said circuit-closer is moved to engage the contact at 64, the circuit of said circuitcontroller resetting coil will be closed and its core-piece attracted, and the lever 51 moved on its pivot to move the movable member ofthe circuit-controller into closed ycircuit position, and thus close the controlling-circuit 33. In case an overload has occurred, the operator may throw the actuator of the double-throw circuit-closer ontok 64, and thus reset the overload-coni trolled circuit-closer, kand cause the controlling-circuit 33 to be closed, and then he may throw the actuator of said circuitcloser in the other direction and close Vthe controlling-circuit 33, 'and thus cause the closing coil of the switch to close said switch, whereupon the parts will be restored to normal.

A pair of contacts 65 and 66 disposed in proximity to the lever 51 of the circuit-controller 50 are arranged to be closed by a movement of said lever into the main switch opening position. Said contacts are connected to an alarm circuit 67 including hal alarm 68, in this instance shown as a As lever 51 of the circuit controller is arranged to remain in the circuit closing condition of the alarm circuit contacts 65 and 66 while the main switch is in open osition and until the remote circuit closer as been properly operated to close the switch. It is seen that the alarm will continuously operate during the period that the switch is in open position caused by the o eration of the overload-responsive means. t may also be seen that the alarm will not be operated upon the opening of the main switch by the operation of the remote control-switch.

When remote control switch 35 is operated to close the main' switch `the circuitcontroller is operated by its resetting coil 60 to move lever 51 to its initial position and thereby serves to break the alarm circuit and to cause the discontinuance of the alarm.

Means for providing a visible indication of the open or closed position of the switch are rovided in the two electric lights 69 and $0. Both lights are connected in series across the source of energy, and the resistance of said lights is such that the normal current flow through them is insuicient to cause them to be eiectively illuminated. One or the other of said lights is adapted to be short-circuited by a switch 71 actuated through a movement of said main switch to open or closed position, and thereby to illuminate to full power the un-short-circuited light, and kserve to indicate the open or closed condition of the switch.

I claim 1. The combination of an electrically operated switch having a closing coil and an opening coil, means to cause operation of said closing coil including a controlling circuit, a circuit-controller for said controlling circuit having an overload-controlled coil and a resetting coil, means controlled by am overload on the circuit controlled by the switch for causin operation of said overload-controlled co1 to open said controlling circuit and of said opening coil to open the switch, and a remote circuit-closer having two controlling positions movable into one position to control the controlling circuit and movable into the other position to cause operation of said resetting coil to reset the circuit-controller and'close the controlling circuit.

2. The combination of an electrically operated switch having a closing coil, means to cause operation ofsaid closin coil to close the switch including a contro ling circuit, a circuit controller for said controlling circuit comprising a controlling circuit control-member, an overload-controlled coil operable to move said control-member to open the controlling circuit, and a resetting coil operable to move said control-member in the opposite direction to close said controlling circuit, and a remote circuit-closer movable into one position to control the controlling circuit and movable into another position to control the resetting coil of said circuit controller.

3. In combination with an electrically operated. switch having a closing coil and an opening coil, controllingcircuits for said coils, a remote circuit-closer having two control positions movable into one position to cause operation ofthe opening coil to open the switch and movable into the other p0- sition to cause operation of the closing coil to close the switch, an alarm, means controlled by an overload in the circuit controlled by the switch to operate said opening coil to open the switch and to operate said alarm, and means controlled by said remote circuit closer to discontinue the operation I,of said alarm.

4. In combination with an electrically operated switch havin an opening coil, an alarm, means contro led by an overload in the circuit controlled by the switch for operating the opening coil to open the switch and also to operate said alarm, a remote control device operable to control said opening coil, and means governed by said remote control-device for operating said opening coil to open the switch independent of the o eration of said alarm.

5. he combination of an electric switch, means for automaticall7 opening the switch upon, overloads and a so for opening' and closing the switch manually from a remote' point including a manually operable circuitcloser movable into one circuit-closing position to'control the o ening of the switch, and movable into anot er circuit-closing position to control the closing of the switch arranged to constrain the operator to move the circuit-closer first to switch-opening position and then to switch-closing position to close the'switch after it has been automatically opened. L y

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribm witnesses.

GE RGE A. BURNHAM.

Witnesses:

H. B. Davis, T. T. GREENWOOD. 

